In ShareDo, master data records are created for different types of entities, e.g. organisations, persons or teams. An example of a master data record would be an organisation's name, contact details, and the address of each branch. It is best practice to use master data records as participants so that there is no duplication in the system. Ideally, you want to have master data records for orgs etc so that you aren't duplicating data.. When we assign the organisation to a Matter, they become a participant on that Matter, and you need to select what of the organisation’s information is relevant to the Matter. 

For example, which branch address will you use for the Matter? In this example, the organisation is the master data record, and the branch addresses are a party type of that participant type. 

Terminology

• Participant: this is the entity that participates in a case.
• Participant Role: the role the participant will play in a piece of work. For example, a person who raises a complaint is given the role of Complainant. Other typical roles include Employer, General Practitioner, and Member of Public.